A Discovery of Witches: A location guide

If you're not familiar with the series, it's based upon the best-selling novels by Deborah Harkness which portray a mysterious world that humans share with the declining species of witches, vampires and daemons. Diana Bishop, an Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont are caught up in a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript. Their journey takes them through time and to locations across the world - but many were actually right here in Wales.

Gareth Skelding, Location Manager for A Discovery of Witches, talks us through some of the places they filmed, as this supernatural thriller of a romance unfolded.

'The vast 250,000 sq ft Bad Wolf Studios in Cardiff Bay played host to a number of large sets that the production required, including a huge replica of Oxford University’s acclaimed Bodleian Library in which the action really kicks off. I was told that over 5km of books were needed to line the shelves! No small undertaking but the results are breathtaking. We also created the interior of Bishop House, Emily and Sarah’s home here, along with the interior of Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours.'

'The medieval Aberglasney House and Gardens in Carmarthenshire boasts one of the finest gardens in Wales, part of which served as the gardens for Sept-Tours, the fictional family home of the de Clermont family. It’s a really versatile location for a set which I have also used to shoot scenes for Da Vinci’s Demons. Sept-Tours features in Seasons 2 and 3 as well as Season 1 and it was great to come back. Gardens, little temples and cloisters from Aberglasney all make an appearance. It’s a sweet little place, the people are amazing.'

'Carew Castle in Pembrokeshire doubled as the ruins of La Pierre, the home of vampire Gerbert of Aurillac, where Diana is kidnapped and tortured by the powerful witch Satu in Season 1. The castle is situated so beautifully on an incredible estuary, and is also home to a large colony of bats which we had to be very careful to work around and not disturb. An ancient castle full of bats seemed very appropriate for a show about witches and vampires!'

'When we were looking for a location to shoot the scenes where Matthew Clairmont and daemon Hamish Osborne go hunting in Season 1, we needed to find a stunning natural environment that would double as the Scottish Highlands (the location written in the book). We found just the place in the mythical lake Llyn y Fan Fach in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park.'

'We needed to find a location to double as the Oxford food market where Diana shops for fresh food in Season 1. We found the ideal location in Cardiff Market, where we created a butchers counter from an empty stall. We shot in the early hours of the morning to avoid the public but as the shoot went on there were definitely a few people that wandered into shot that weren’t one of our extras. Working in busy locations where you can’t fully shut down the set is always interesting and definitely keeps us on our toes!'

'I love Insole Court and have been shooting productions there for over twenty years. It’s a very grand mansion that we used to shoot scenes for Matthew Clairmont’s lodgings at All Souls College within Oxford University for both Seasons 1 and 2. It was the ideal backdrop for a vampire’s lair – dark and brooding. Fans of the books or the show can visit Insole Court, which has recently been saved by years of community campaigning and the ground floor is now open for visitors. It also has a great café – The Potting Shed – which serves up excellent homemade seasonal food.'

'Tretower is a fortified manor house that's just steeped in history. It made the perfect setting for the house of the Council of Witches in Elizabethan London where the powerful witch Goody Alsop trains Diana in the in the ways of magic in Season 2. All the scenes where Diana learns to weave spells are filmed in the Upper North Range, and the scenes with Diana and Goody sat in front of a fire were filmed in the Kitchen at Tretower. The best thing is you can see it all for yourself. The rooms have been restored to look as they did in the building's 1460s heyday - complete with tapestries, tables, pots and pans.'

'In Season 2, Gallowglass, Matthew and Diana make a long journey to Sept-Tours in France to visit Philippe de Clermont, Matthew's father. They pitch up on this windswept and gorgeously wild beach from their little boat, wet and bedraggled. We shot these scenes over several days down on the Gower Peninsula. Wales has heaps of spectacular coastline, but this stretch is probably my favourite at any time of year.'

'There are over 400 castles in Wales and that's one reason so many films get made here - there's a spooky ruin round almost every corner! But Caerphilly Castle with its huge wonky tower and mighty moat is one of the biggest and best. Not only did we use the interior of one of the gatehouses for Matthew's cell scenes, but the moat doubled for the Thames for the Tower of London dungeon shots in Season 2. We spent a lot of time messing about on boats here!'

'I'm not going to give you the exact name, because it's a private house, but much of Season 2 is set in Elizabethan London. We built narrow cobbled streets and wooden-beamed houses round the courtyard of this farm and manor house out in the countryside. Some of the houses had complete interiors and multiple floors. Teresa Palmer who plays Diana was literally reduced to tears when she first saw it! It really looked amazing.'

Sky original A Discovery of Witches continues on Sky One and NOW TV.